North Carolina State University
2012 Incoming Freshmen Survey:
Open-End Comments
Frequency Distributions by Topical Category
Students were asked to report in their own words what they are most excited about and most concerned about in coming to NC State. The tables included in this report contain the frequencies at which various topics were referenced in their responses to these questions.
Exact wording of questions:
Briefly describe what it is you are most excited about in coming to NC State (view frequency distribution)
Briefly describe what, if anything, you are most concerned or nervous about in starting your first semester of college at NC State (view frequency distribution)
What Most Excited About (Table 1)A total of 1,770 respondents provided a response to the question asking about what they are most excited about in coming to NC State. First-year students most commonly reported being excited about their social life (32.3%), personal/career development (25.7%), campus life/involvement (23.6%), and independence (16.3%). Only about 1 percent of respondents reported being excited about college living (e.g., living with a roommate).
The following are several students' responses that relate to social life, personal/career development, campus life/involvement, and independence:
"I am mostly excited about all the opportunities that are available at NCSU and how I am going to take advantage of every single one of them. "
"I am so excited about really finding myself when I get involved in my classes and in many of the other opportunities on campus."
"I am excited about meeting new people, becoming more independent and learning more about subjects that interest me."
| Topic | N | % |
|---|---|---|
| Social Life | 571 | 32.3% |
| Personal/Career Development | 455 | 25.7% |
| Campus Life/Involvement | 418 | 23.6% |
| Independence | 288 | 16.3% |
| Transition to College | 236 | 13.3% |
| Community/Campus Environment | 169 | 9.5% |
| Co-curricular activities | 63 | 3.6% |
| Performance/Workload | 62 | 3.5% |
| Diversity | 57 | 3.2% |
| Instruction | 47 | 2.7% |
| Living/Roommate | 16 | 0.9% |
| Financial | 15 | 0.8% |
| Other/Miscellaneous | 15 | 0.8% |
| Time Management | 11 | 0.6% |
| Health | 6 | 0.3% |
| First Year College | 5 | 0.3% |
| Safety | 2 | 0.1% |
| Transportation | 2 | 0.1% |
Link to verbatim comments by topic
Back to Top Biggest Concerns (Table 2)
A total of 1,614 respondents provided a response to the question asking about what they are most concerned or nervous about in starting their first semester at NC State. About one-third of respondents reported being concerned with performance/workload (34.8%) during their first semester at NC State. Other commonly reported concerns related to the transition to college (19.7%), time management (16.1%), and social life (13.1%). Only about 3 percent of students reported being most concerned about financial issues (3.1%) and less than 1 percent reported being concerned with issues related to safety (.9%).
The following are several students' responses that relate to concerns about performance/workload, adapting to the transition of college, time management, and social life:
"Getting used to larger classes, being away from family, figuring out what it is I want to do and meeting new people."
"I am nervous about being able to transition from high school to college. I have to work on my time management skills."
"I am nervous about all of the new people and trying to make new friends. I am also nervous about keeping up my grades. "
| topic | N | % | Performance/Workload | 561 | 34.8% |
|---|---|---|
| Transition to College | 318 | 19.7% |
| Time Management | 260 | 16.1% |
| Social Life | 211 | 13.1% |
| Independence | 184 | 11.4% |
| Health | 106 | 6.6% |
| Campus Life/Involvement | 71 | 4.4% |
| Instruction | 63 | 3.9% |
| Living/Roommate | 57 | 3.5% |
| Personal/Career Development | 51 | 3.2% |
| Financial | 50 | 3.1% |
| Community/Campus Environment | 47 | 2.9% |
| Other/Miscellaneous | 39 | 2.4% |
| Transportation | 19 | 1.2% |
| Registration | 18 | 1.1% |
| Safety | 14 | 0.9% |
| Diversity | 10 | 0.6% |
| Co-curricular activities | 5 | 0.3% |
| First Year College | 5 | 0.3% |
| Survey Issues | 1 | 0.1% |
Link to verbatim comments by topic
Back to Top
Dr. Nancy Whelchel, Associate Director for Survey Research
Office of Institutional Planning and Research
Box 7002
NCSU
Phone: (919) 515-4184
Email: Nancy_Whelchel@ncsu.edu
Posted: October 2012
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